Many of the finest high school hockey players in Ocean and Monmouth counties may never have witnessed or experienced extreme hunger or the lack of food for a meal.
But those young adults will have a chance to do something for people who are in need of a good meal when they play in the 14th annual Shoot for the Stars all-star showcase that will face-off onAug. 7 at the Red Bank Armory Ice Complex in Red Bank starting at 5:30 p.m.
Proceeds from the $10 admission and various fundraising raffles taking place that evening will go to the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. The FoodBank, which was established in 1984, collects donated food and distributes it to area food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other charities.
“People are hurting more than ever,” said Jim Dowd, a former Brick Township High School hockey standout who retired two years ago after 14 NHL seasons. “I heard there is not enough food in their [FoodBank’s] cupboard. Seniors are hurting. They are digging into their 401(k) accounts to pay expenses. There is a mobile food pantry for seniors who can’t get there. We thought that idea was great.
“As fast as the food goes in, it goes out. The warehouse is 33,000 square feet, but we were told that if the FoodBank got no donations, in six weeks they would be out of food. That’s unbelievable. It puts things in perspective,” he said.
Dowd has been telling supporters of his annual all-star hockey game that the Food- Bank is serving 84 percent more people than it assisted four years ago, largely because of the recession.
“The new people seeking food at pantries are formerly middle-class families who lost their job. Two out of every five of those people are children. In addition, there are elderly and disabled who must decide whether to buy groceries or fill prescriptions,” he said.
Dowd said revenue generated by the game, the accompanying fundraisers and a journal driven by advertising from local businesses can help fill the need for food.
In the early years of the all-star hockey game, the proceeds went to an individual in need, but Dowd’s foundation during the past nine years has broadened its support to causes affecting many people, such as local youth hockey, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ocean County, the Frances Foundation and the Brick Stars Special Need Challengers Ice Hockey program.
Raffles will offer various signed NHL memorabilia. There also will be auctions for a Zach Parise signed U.S. Olympic Jersey and an official Ryan Callahan signed New York Rangers jersey.
As for the game, Monmouth County leads the series, 9-4, over Ocean County.
Most Valuable Player trophies will be presented to a player on each team.
One former MVP, James VanRiemsdyk, now plays for the Philadelphia Flyers. A VanRiemsdyk stick will be raffled off, as well as tickets for Rangers and Flyers games.
This year’s game draws particular interest for Kevin Lebron, who recently graduated from Jackson Memorial High School and was the MVP for Ocean in the 2010 game. Lebron was accepted to Cornell but he is looking at waiting a year for college so he can play junior hockey.
“I am definitely thankful for being selected two years in a row for this game. It’s pretty tough to do,” Lebron said. “I would probably take this as a challenge. I would like to help Ocean win this game since Monmouth has been winning it so many times, and for me, I have the chance to win the MVP two years in a row.”
No player in the game over the years has won the MVP twice. Lebron said his only regret is that his high school teammate who shared time with him in goal, Anthony Stolarz, was not selected again.
“I would have liked to have had that because we both played almost the same amount of minutes and had similar stats,” Lebron said. “He’ll be a senior this fall and he is also looking into playing junior hockey.”
In mid-July, Lebron had a tryout with the Capital Division Select of the Eastern Junior Hockey League and last weekend with the Amarillo (Texas) Bulls of the North American Hockey League.
“I thought the CD Select tryout went well,” Lebron said late last week. “I hope to hear by next week with two contracts in hand.”
In last year’s Shoot for the Stars Foundation all-star game, Lebron was in goal when Ocean County built a 2-0 lead, but when he was replaced, Monmouth County answered back for a 6-2 victory, its eighth in the last nine years. A year earlier, Ocean won the 2009 game, 4-3, the third straight year the contest was decided by a goal. “The talent level is great and then you look at the teams like CBA and Brick, which had an unbelievable year, and Red Bank Catholic, which reached the state finals, and Toms River South has a kid who is one of the best in the state,” Dowd said.
Lebron said playing in this year’s game will help keep him sharp as he prepares for next season. If he does not sign to play junior hockey, he said he will enroll for classes in the spring semester at Cornell.
“The biggest thing for me has been getting in shape. That was my downfall in the past,” Lebron said.
He said he has dropped a lot of weight and that has made him more mobile around goal.
Dowd acknowledged a dedicated group of volunteers who once again are making this year’s game happen, including his wife, Lisa; Erin and Tom Cooper; Kristen Dolan; Rick Handchen; Mike Zebro; Karen and Eric Staub; Dave VanVechten; and Pat Doyle, who again will handle the microphone. Dowd also acknowledged Doug Brooks, the owner of the Red Bank Armory, and his staff for their preparation of the arena and for donating ice time.